Paso Robles man pleads not guilty to federal charges of distributing fentanyl causing death
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Federal prosecutors are taking over the case against a Paso Robles man who reportedly sold a fake painkiller to an Atascadero teenager, resulting in his death from fentanyl poisoning.
Paso Robles resident Timothy Clark Wolfe pleaded not guilty to two charges of distributing fentanyl causing death and possession of the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam, also known by the brand name Xanax, with intent to sell, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Wolfe, 24, was taken into custody by federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents on July 28 and was arraigned at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on July 29, the release said.
The arrest came after Wolfe was charged by a federal grand jury in the two-count indictment on July 19, the release said.
If convicted of distributing fentanyl causing death in federal court, Wolfe faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life, the release said, while the charge of possession with intent to distribute alprazolam carries a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison.
A federal magistrate judge released Wolfe on a $150,000 bond and a trial date was set for Sept. 20, the release said.
The prosecuting attorneys are assistant U.S. attorneys Julia Hu of the Major Frauds division and Jena MacCab of the General Crimes division.
Atascadero teen died after taking pill for a toothache, mother says
Emilio Velci, 19, died in March 2020 after taking what he thought was a prescription Percocet pill for a toothache.
The pill actually contained the synthetic opiate fentanyl, according to previous Tribune reports.
“He took a pill for a toothache and he died,” Emilio’s mother, Cammie Velci, previously told the Tribune.
Velci was one of 55 people in San Luis Obispo County who died from taking opioids in 2020 — double the number of opioid-related deaths reported in the county in 2019.
Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and up to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Buying and selling illicit prescription drugs on the street is deadly dangerous,” San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said in the release. “While a purchaser may believe they are buying a pharmaceutical-grade painkiller, there is no way to know who made them, where they came from, or what is in them. Sadly, it often leads to overdose and death.”
Paso Robles man charged with drug-related death, drug possession
On May 20, 2020, the county District Attorney’s Office charged Wolfe with second-degree murder and possession of alprazolam pills with the intent to distribute, the release said.
Law enforcement officials allegedly found the anti-anxiety drugs after a search of Wolfe’s home.
The county District Attorney’s Office is dismissing the state charges against the Paso Robles man in light of the federal charges.
The state and federal charges differ slightly, the District Attorney’s Office said in the release.
According to the release, the state charges required California to prove the defendant personally knew taking the drug sold could result in a high likelihood of death, while the federal charges prohibit a person from providing a controlled substance that could result in the user’s death.
“We will continue to work closely with our federal law enforcement partners to protect our community by aggressively pursuing fentanyl dealers for their reckless behavior,” Dow said.
This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 4:14 PM.
CORRECTION: The original version of the story incorrectly reported the federal crimes Wolfe was charged with. Wolfe was charged with distributing fentanyl causing death.
